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Wednesday, February 25, 2015

Smarter Than You Think -- Chapter 4

In Chapter 4 “The New Literacies” of Smarter Than You Think, Clive Thompson writes about the new ways that we communicate through written language and other mediums including television and internet. Thompson mentions several improvements in technology that allow us to communicate in ways that we could not just a few years ago.

Among the "new literacies" (i.e online video, images, data sets, and other digital-based tools) that Thompson discusses, which one has been particularly important for you? How so?

20 comments:

Shervonti Norman
said...

Of the "new literacies" that Clive Thompson discusses, the data sets and random other digital based tools have probably been particularly important for me. I enjoy statistics and comparing different things. Research is important to me and there are endless topics to look through. In the book, what I found particularly interesting was about the woman who monitored her mood for a while. With doing so, she was able to learn more about herself to help with her fluctuating moods. Just from her example, that could potentially help many others that suffer from depression and any other mood disorders.

One of new literacies that was particularly important to me was communication through images. It has become the new thing to share important events and daily happenings through images. In my opinion, pictures can explain a lot but they can also send a misconstrued message. Communicating through pictures can be beautiful and amazing because beauty is in the eye of the beholder. However, the beholder could grasp a message that was not intended which leaves me with the question; is technology improving communication or misinterpreting it?

I think out of all the new ways of communication text messaging and email has been the most important in my communication with others. I text more than I hold conversations over the phone now days because it is more convenient then stopping what I am doing and making a phone call. Also in order to contact professors or even future or current employers email is the best ways to communicate other than face to face communication. Information is easily relayed through email and the information can go to multiple individuals at the same time as does text messages also. I think that is why those two are the most important improvements in communication that involve the evolution of the human mind and our new interactions.

I think that the idea of online video and online news is what I find to be the most "new literacy." I cannot imagine what it would be like to not have instant access to the most current stories from all over the world. The use of online video has made ordinary people into journalists and have helped shown people from all of the world what is happening to their counter parts in different countries. WE can now see what it is like to be living in a war torn country as well as how people live their everyday lives through the media that they post on social media sites or on online newspaper and magazines.

Online video is very important to me because its goal is to not only inform the audience but sometimes does so in a way that's entertaining. With easier access to video production software and cameras, and with the help of sites like Youtube, Tumblr, and even Vine, anyone can get their message out quickly and to a widespread audience. I find online video more effective than written media because it gives visual representation to information which may be more helpful for some people in visualizing a concept.

The internet, in general, has been particularly important for me. Having the internet allows me to use online video call services (i.e. Skype, Oovoo, Facetime) to be able to call and reconnect with my family members and friends that I don't get to see on a daily basis. Online videos has also helped my education. If we go over something in class that I am having trouble with and still don't understand after reviewing the chapter in the book, then I will look for videos on YouTube that help explain the subject. The improvements in technology have allowed me to stay connected with others and have helped me to expand my education.

When I read about him talking about how we communicate through web cam on a laptop, I thought about how much further we've progressed. Now, we can Facetime from phone to phone. We've even been able to create apps. I feel like things like this are particularly important for my peers and I. We use them on an every day basis.

Among the literacies that Thompson discusses the most important one for me has been images. Pictures are truly the way I capture a lot of moments in my life. They are the way I create memories, remember things, express emotion, demonstrate the evolution of myself and illustrate many different chapters of my life. When I go out sometimes I can't even start eating without taking a picture of my food to share with everyone. Images are truly what keep moments alive.

Among the literacies that Thompson discusses the most important one for me has been images. Pictures are truly the way I capture a lot of moments in my life. They are the way I create memories, remember things, express emotion, demonstrate the evolution of myself and illustrate many different chapters of my life. When I go out sometimes I can't even start eating without taking a picture of my food to share with everyone. Images are truly what keep moments alive.

One of the new literacies that was particularly important to me was online videos because as a education major I think it is important to utilize media in lessons because it is such a large part of everyday life that its important to gain skills and experience with it in the classroom to make your education relatable to your experiences outside of the classroom.

Of the "new literacies", I think the one that I most cherish is the phone because I am able to FaceTime and Skype through my phone and it allows me to see my family who is 5 hours away. I mean I can talk to them on the phone, but once in a while I want to be able to see their faces because I am so far away. There is always an app for pretty much everything, some it useful and some are just entertaining but I still appreciate all of them.

Of all the new literacies that Thompson discusses video chat and the ability to share images has been most important to me. When you have a close knit family like mine, it is hard to keep up with each other when you all live in different areas of the country. Video chatting has allowed us to have face to face contact with each other on a regular basis and share moments together other than the brief holiday visits.

Online video is probably the most important to me. From online news stories to YouTube videos, online videos have proven to be a huge way to connect people. It is a great learning tool as well. I know many people who use pre recorded online videos to help with homework in more difficult classes such as chemistry.

I believe that picture and video have been among the most powerful forms of literacy for me. As a person who needs to "see it to believe it", not only is it helpful to see images, I have noticed that it is dangerous too. There are so many messages being presented to us these days through visuals; and obviously, even to see "it" means that there is a possibility that you are seeing and believing falsehood. Like any technology or literacy, I have found that video and picture have been both beneficial and destructive.

Television and internet are probably the most important in my communication with others. The internet has expanded communication as well in addition to enhancing learning capabilities in the classroom. Texting is the most important. It allows me to communicate with people I don't see on an every day basis and quickly communicate with people as well. Now, developing countries are also more involved with technology and have the same opportunity to expand their horizons as well.

I believe online video is most important to me because it opens up new channels to learn and also teach. Through online video, sites like Khan Academy, Youtube (which is more than cat videos), and other sites allow a wide variety of people to connect. I use these sites to expand on things that I do not adequately learn about in the classroom.

Among the "new literacies" that Thompson discusses, one that has been particularly important for me is video servers such as youtube. As a nursing student, everything that I learn in lecture is not always fully comprehended. Through the use of the internet and youtube, I can search particular ideas and they can be explained to me with both visuals and audio.

Two new literacies that have been particularly important for me is being able to take images and text messaging. I believe that memories fad, and pictures don't. Which is why I have to take pictures of any and everything, because I want to have reminders of every experience that was important to me. And text messaging is a quick and efficient way to communicate with people. One doesn't always have to time hold a conversation, which is why text messaging is useful tool.

I think online video is very important. I think it's important to see what people are out there doing and we can also learn a lot in this way to. This can also include images. In my English class we were talking about North Korea and how their citizens didn't realize what the rest of the world was like because they had no way of knowing. In turn we wouldn't know the truth of North Korea without videos, images, and online resources. I think it's very important to be educated on what's going on.

Between the new literacies that Thompson refers to, I would have to say the two most important ones to me are communication through images and online videos. The images are important to me in a social aspect. They are a way to connect and share a visual of things that matter to you. The videos are important to me in a more educational way. Online videos are a great tool for research and learning. For example, there are many videos I watch to learn more about the calculus and physics homework I have. I think everyone has different opinions on what is most useful for them, but these are my top two.